Lindbergh Blanks Mehlville, Ready For Revenge Match With Cor Jesu

Lindbergh junior midfielder Katie Campbell remembers it as though it were only yesterday.

In reality, the Flyers' season-ending 5-0 loss to powerful in last year's district tournament occurred 362 days ago.

Still, Campbell and her teammates have kept the setback fresh in their minds.

"It was embarrassing," recalled Campbell. "They scored in the first 30 seconds and we just self-destructed. It was awful."

Instead of forgetting the loss, the Flyers kept the setback in the front of their minds all season long. Campbell says the club geared its entire campaign around getting even with the Chargers.

Now, thanks in part to Campbell, the time for revenge is here.

Campbell and sophomore Ashley Harbaugh scored early goals and junior keeper Nina Tzlanos pitched a shutout to lead the fourth-seeded Flyers to a 2-0 victory over fifth-seeded Mehlville on Monday in the opening round of the Class 3 District 2 Tournament at Oakville High.

The win gives Lindbergh (17-6) a long-desired rematch with top-seeded Cor Jesu (13-6) on Wednesday at 5 p.m. Second-seeded Oakville and third-seeded Summit meet in the other semifinal at 7 p.m. The winners move on to the championship game Friday at 6 p.m.

The Flyers are excited about the rematch and feel they have a legitimate shot at knocking off the tradition-rich Chargers, who finished third in the state last season.

"This is a different team," Campbell said. "We're more fit and we've got a better alignment for our style and the type of people that we have."

Lindbergh coach Mark Giesing agrees.

"We respect them, but we feel like we can run with anybody," he said. "Everybody in St. Louis these days can play with everybody else. There's a lot of talent out there.

And the Flyers have plenty of it. They have quietly overcome a string of injuries to post an impressive campaign.

"We're playing well and we're not afraid of anybody," said the 4-foot, 11-inch Harbaugh.

Lindbergh was at the top of its game against Mehlville, which played well but ends the season 11-12.

Campbell and Harbaugh scored in the first 11 minutes and 18 seconds to give the Flyers early control of the match. Mehlville stayed within striking distance the rest of the way, but couldn't put the ball past Tzlanos, who posted her 13th shutout of the season.

"We just put ourselves behind the eight ball too early," said Mehlville coach Tom Harper. "You can't get down like that early and expect to come back against a good team like that."

Campbell got the ball rolling by scoring on a free kick from 30 yards out just 1:31 into the contest. One of two free-kick specialists on the squad, she rocketed a shot into the upper right hand corner of the net for her sixth goal of the season.

Harbaugh made it 2-0 less than 10 minutes later. She used a spin move to elude a defender near the top of the box before drilling a laser with her right foot.

"I just turned and shot," said Harbaugh. "We definitely came out on fire."

Giesing says he has stressed quick starts ever since giving up the early goal to Cor Jesu last season.

"It's been a real point of emphasis," Giesing noted. "We came out flat in that game and never recovered. We wanted to make sure that didn't happen again."

Mehlville tested Tzlanos several times. Lauren Guerrero, Allison Wade and Kayla Hezel each had strong scoring opportunities.

"You can't question the effort and you can't question the desire of the girls in green tonight," said Panthers coach Tom Harper. "I'm happy with the effort and the things we'll be able to take into next season."

Lindbergh senior Rachel Greer and junior Rachel Marchi played well up front.

The Flyers can now concentrate on their biggest game of the season. They have plenty of reason for optimism this time around. They are a year wiser, a year sharper, and a year better. Plus, they are unbeaten this season on artificial turf. The lightning-quick fake grass at Oakville High suits their style of play, which centers on pinpoint ball possession.

"We're tough to beat when we're on," said Campbell. "We've had our rough patches, but we're playing well now."